


Serving Time

by Shi_Toyu



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prison, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Crimes & Criminals, M/M, Oblivious Steve Rogers, Prison, Protective Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 07:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7037794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: In a non-powered AU, Tony takes the fall for Obadiah Stane's murder because he cannot let Pepper go to prison for something that isn't even her fault. It's a noble choice, and one he's determined not to regret... not even when his cellmate turns out to be absolutely gorgeous and absolutely deadly. He doesn't know whether or not to be turned-on or terrified. Bucky, meanwhile, is a hardened criminal who has absolute control in the prison, but he still blushes when he thinks of his cellmate's smile.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Serving Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Avengerz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avengerz/gifts).



> For Avengerz, I hope you enjoy!

“You’ll be up for parole soon. Why didn’t you tell me?”

James stirred from his bunk, turning onto his side to wrap an arm around Tony’s waist and plaster himself to the genius’s back. He pressed sleepy kisses to Tony’s neck.

“I’ve been in this joint eight years, babe. I was eligible for parole at five. They’re not letting me out of here.”

Tony made a discontented noise, clearly not agreeing.

“You’ve got a college degree now.”

“As I recall, that was your idea. And what’s so great about a college degree that it’s gonna spring me, anyway? I beat a cop until I put his ass in a hospital. He might still be in fuckin’ physical therapy for all I know.”

“A _corrupt_ cop who was harassing your friend.”

“Still a cop.”

And there hadn’t been any way James was letting Stevie take the fall for that one. He’d played dirty by siccing Peggy on Steve to keep him out of the way and out of trouble. He was pretty sure the tiny blond was still mad at him for it. At least Stevie visited once a week anyway.

“You haven’t been getting in trouble much lately, either. You haven’t been thrown in solitary in nearly a year.”

James nipped Tony’s neck lightly to show his displeasure with the current topic.

“Of course not. Who’s going to keep you safe if I’m in solitary? Better I don’t get caught teaching those idiots a lesson who think they can mess with what’s mine.”

To James’ surprise, the possessive claiming didn’t make Tony relax at all. Usually, such proclamations would have the genius melting against him. Instead, the tension in Tony’s shoulders seemed to get worse instead of better. Hands came up to cover James’ own, keeping them wrapped tightly around Tony’s waist.

“You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time, James. You know that, right? I was so messed up even before Afghanistan, I just needed to be kidnapped in order to see it. Coming back and finding out about Stane…It was too much. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t wound up with you as a cellmate.”

James stroked Tony’s stomach soothingly, tracing the firm muscle there with his fingers. He absolutely appreciated that Tony slept with his uniform pushed down to his hips. Apparently, the genius used to sleep naked but that didn’t fly behind bars.

“As I remember it, you were rather terrified of me at first.”

Tony snorted.

“Of course I was. Have you _heard_ what the guys say about you in the yard? The guards _and_ the croaker warned me about you.”

This brought a smile to James’ face. It’d taken him a while to get Tony into using prison slang yet now he dropped doctor for croaker with ease.

“I don’t think you slept that entire first night and I didn’t even do anything to you.”

“You didn’t have to. You just gave me that _look_ you have with your icy eyes and heavy eyebrows. I thought you were gonna shank me with your pinky nail.”

James snorted.

“That’s really, _really_ not how shanks work.”

“Yeah, well I know that _now_.”

Tony turned over and buried himself in James’ chest. James just wrapped his arms back around the genius and held him close.

“I never would have hurt you, not from the first moment I laid eyes on you. You looked so scared when you walked into the cell, trembling even as you tried to put on a brave face. I didn’t want to leave you to what prison can do to a new-comer.”

He expected Tony to crack a joke at that, but instead the genius just pressed himself impossibly closer.

“Yeah, well, I’m a veteran now. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

.

Stevie beamed at him from the other side of the glass but James was still trying to process what he was hearing.

“It’s great, I know, right? But, remember, you didn’t hear it from me!”

“Wha-I-What do you mean I’m going to make parole?”

Stevie huffed and rolled his eyes, his good mood still making him all jittery and giddy.

“Peggy’s Assistant DA, remember? She talked to some of her bosses who talked to some of their people and, _officially,_ there hasn’t been a decision yet, of course. That won’t happen until your hearing, but with your college degree now and you staying out of fights it’s all practically guaranteed. As long as nothing happens before your hearing next week, you’ll be golden! I’ve already talked to my friend Sam, you remember me talking about him? He works for the VA? Anyway, he’s looking into some job opportunities for you when you get out. He knows a lot of people.”

Stevie continued talking, James nodded at the appropriate places and making the expected comments when he was supposed to. He wasn’t paying a bit of attention to what the blond was saying anymore, though. His mind was far more focused on Tony. The genius had a life sentence, no chance at parole. If James got out, he’d be leaving Tony for good. He could visit, sure, just like Steve visited him but it wouldn’t be the same. He’d never get to hold Tony in his arms or even touch him. The genius would be on the other side of a sheet of glass and the only contact James would have was his voice on the other end of a cheap telephone.

He supposed, as the guards led him back to his cell, that he should have thought about this before. His sentence had only ever been for fifteen years if he never made parole. Judging by their conversation last night, Tony certainly had. Tony’d probably known since the beginning that their relationship came with an expiration date. Of course he did. Tony knew everything.

The genius was laying back on the bottom bunk in their cell with a book when James was guided back in. The door closed behind him and then James put his hands out through the slot so the guards could uncuff him. It was only after the guards had walked away that James crawled onto the bunk with him, displacing the book in favor of tucking Tony up under his chin and holding him close. Tony didn’t protest, just set the book aside and settled in.

“What’s up, buttercup?” Tony asked softly. “Something happen with Steve?”

James shook his head and buried his nose in Tony’s hair.

“He’s just excited about the upcoming parole hearing. He thinks I’m going to be released, too.”

Tony hummed.

“You don’t sound very excited. Most people would be excited to finally get out of prison.”

James supposed that was true. There were certainly things he missed being on the inside. Just getting to hang out and chill with Steve was definitely one of them. Leather jackets and his bike, not having someone watching him all the time, not having to piss in the urinal in the corner of his cell. He’d almost forgotten what privacy was by now. James would kill for a steak or even just some good, authentic Italian, too. Prison food wasn’t as terrible as he’d expected, but it definitely wasn’t great either.

He’d missed his bed when he’d first got locked up, James remembered. Now it’d been so long he couldn’t even really remember the damn thing. He’d gotten used to his bunk and, since he and Tony shared, that meant they could drag the mattress down from the top bunk and double pad, too. The guards weren’t assholes as long as you weren’t causing trouble and the other inmates knew well not to get in James’ way or mess with him. It wasn’t exactly a bad set up.

What would James even do if he got out? Get a job from one of Sam’s people and do the 9-5 shtick? Worry over how to pay this bill or that? Struggle for every purchase that had to be made in life just like he and Stevie had before? Stevie and Peggy were both successful now. They could afford just about anything they wanted, especially living together and sharing income. Would James have to look at that every day knowing he could never get there? Not that he begrudged Stevie or Peggy their success. Never. But it was kind of like showing a man in a dessert a glass of water and telling him he couldn’t have it.

“What would you do,” James finally asked, “if I were released?”

Tony didn’t have too much trouble, though he was a favorite target his first couple of months until James had made it clear for the others to lay off. Now a good number of the other inmates even liked the genius after he’d helped them out with getting degrees for martialing a case for appeal. The guards liked him, too, since he kept James out of trouble and was the friendly sort anyway. Still, there were a couple of the inmates, both old and new, who thought Tony was a great target no matter how many times they were warned away. It’d only be a matter of time before one of them caught up to Tony when no one was looking. Tony was scrappy and a good fighter, but he wasn’t nearly as big as most of the guys in here.

Ivan Vanko, who’d arrived less than six months after Tony’s incarceration, still tried to get to the genius whenever possible. James didn’t know what had that Russian mobster so determined but he was definitely the worst of the lot. In a straight up fight, Tony wouldn’t stand a chance. Ivan had the build of someone who grew up in the underworld and an attitude to match. He was smart, too. There were a few times James hadn’t been sure he’d come out on top.

“Oh, you know,” Tony’s carefully crafted casual tone drew James away from his thoughts, “might go for another doctorate or three. I get bored so easily. Could even try a prison break but I kind of like the structure. I’d miss having a schedule if I were on the run. Plus, I’m not so sure Mexico is my style and I’m not hiding out in _Canada_.”

James felt a smile curl his lips despite everything.

“I don’t know. Canada’s closer and Mexico is so over-done.”

He didn’t have to look to know Tony was rolling his eyes.

“Still not happening. Trust me, dogsledder is _not_ a good look on me.”

“No,” James agreed, “way too many clothes.”

Tony shifted around to grin at him for the split second before their lips met.

The next day, James walked into the chow hall and snapped Ivan’s neck without any provocation. He was thrown in solitary for a week but the parole hearing didn’t even happen. James grinned when his public defender told him there was a good chance he’d be getting a sentence of life at the trial.


End file.
